A very brief article in the New York Times reports that a plan has been proposed to construct a database of all of China’s 1.34 billion citizens:
The official, Zhou Yongkang, said the system should be based on the resident identity cards issued to every Chinese citizen, and should include such details as each person’s tax record and history of education and employment, as well as what property and vehicles he or she owns. Writing in Qiushi, a Communist Party magazine, Mr. Zhou said that a comprehensive database would help neighborhood watchmen enforce stability.
A less comprehensive database was reportedly established in 2007.
